Properly priced in early 2008, it might have fetched $5.0-$5.5m, but we'll never know.

Now we turn to one that might be remembered as the deal of the year for 2010.

Though, yes, it's early yet. 332 20th (5br/5ba, 4300 sq. ft.) is a gorgeous custom-feeling Spanish near the top of the 20th St. walkstreet over Highland. As we noted in our mid-February MB Market Update:

A high price ($4.795m) and tough market doomed the first listing, which ran from Jan.-Nov. 2008 before the home rented out.

It returned in Sept. 2009 lighter, at $3.895m, and finally found a buyer this year after shaving off another $500k to $3.395m.

It fell further from even those heights.

332 20th closed Monday for $3.050m.

That's -$1.745m/-36% off of the start price in Jan. 2008. It would appear that this sale was at a loss to the builders, who paid $1.85m for the lot in June 2005.

What might it have drawn in 2008, before the financial meltdown? $3.5m-$4.0m? Again, we'll never know.

20th is a wonderful house, unique, warm, with big ocean views that are well-framed by the home's design. Even in a living room, along a wall where you'd have cabinets or a big TV, there are view windows beckoning. Some found the layout and some of the design quirky or broken-up, but to a lot of us, it sang. Price was really the main problem.

Your blog author swooned perhaps a bit too much, and made 20th one of 2 properties mentioned in an early-2008 MBC poll (see "$1m to Cross the Street?") that compared it to a new-construction listing down on 19th closer to the water.

The comparison property west of Highland, 200 19th, sold for $5.6m, quickly.

That turned out to be a high-water mark even for walkstreet properties west of Highland, but it sure made MBC's question look silly.

The final gap between 332 20th and 200 19th was $2.550m.

So, in answer to the first question: Is a new home west of Highland worth $1m more than one east of the Sand Section's great barrier street?

The answer is: No. It's worth $2.5m more.

In answer to the second question raised here: Is 332 20th the deal of the year, already?